Nine of Cups reversed/Queen of Cups. The Nine of Cups (cusp of Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, the group, cause-oriented, and Pisces, “I believe,” feelings, duality, suffering, soul growth) in an upright position is about emotional satisfaction. I am being told by the reversed card that I am perhaps not paying attention to my feelings and emotions. After all, I don’t need “stuff” in order to feel happy, I just need to create happiness within me. The Queen of Cups (cusp of Gemini, “I think,” curious, sociable, dual, and Cancer, “I feel,” sensitive, tenacious, nurturing, moody) is Water of Water, and thus in an upright position is quite deeply connected to her feelings and her Inner Voice. She may very well be the most important card in my spread today. She is telling me that while it may be sometimes difficult to see into the waters if they are cloudy, it is always worth the effort; I must look into my own feelings as well, even though they may be cloudy, in order to understand them.

My Thoth card is the Eight of Swords reversed. “Interference” is Crowley’s keyword for the Eight of Swords (Jupiter, expansiveness and growth, justice, fortune, in Gemini, “I think,” curious, sociable talkative, dual), which in an upright position tells of interference that is of the sheer bad luck nature. This interference can often be unexpected, which makes it even more frustrating to deal with. Thankfully, my card is reversed today, so if interference happens, I will be able to deal with it and keep things running smoothly.

My Legacy card is The Star reversed, flavored by the Three of Swords. The Three of Swords again? Oy. The Star (Air, hot/separates and wet/adapts; Aquarius; Qof, back of head; the Path between Malkuth, the physical world of action and outer, physical reality, and Netzach, the stimulating factors of emotion and inspiration) in an upright position reminds us to have faith in the future. Like Temperance, this card reminds us that balance is key, but The Star reminds us to bring in a balance of Divine energy to infuse our lives. Like The Fool, this card is not about a final solution, but it does remind us that if we believe a solution will appear, it probably will. My Star is reversed, and since it is being flavored by the Three of Swords (Saturn, discipline, responsibility, limitations and resistance, in Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation) it may very well be my own attitude and expectations that are preventing the rejuvenation and clarity of The Star from manifesting. The Three of Swords usually indicates the possibility of experiencing sorrow or betrayal or isolation of some kind, and the reversed Nine of Cups above seems to be reinforcing the power of this Three. Perhaps if I try to remember that I really am never alone, I will have a better day.

My 6-digit date number is 9, the number of completeness of manifestation or effect; 9 is a number that gives fruit to itself, that always reduces to itself. 9 + 9= 18; 1 + 8 = 9!

My horoscopes: “Feed your mind today, Sagittarius. While you enjoy being active and social, you do get bored quickly. You'll need to give yourself a constant supply of intriguing, fresh material in order to feel your best. Explore an interesting subject or learn a new hobby. Stimulate your mind and your body will become more energetic. Go online if you can't get away.”

And: “This is a good day for all matters financial. With your credit cards maxed out you may be thinking that your bank account is not as healthy as it could be. But today you are likely to receive some news that indicates otherwise. You may get a windfall of some kind, or discover that your stock portfolio is generating healthy returns. It's a good day for paperwork. Enjoy this great day!”

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Page of Pentacles. The message of this Page is that we each need to “touch” or tap into the repository of dreams and visions and instructions for attaining material manifestation of our goals. We must each learn how to connect to that repository, and we must each learn the language of its contents in order to access the information, using the tools and skills at hand. No one else can do this for us. Most importantly, we must not see this as a burdensome task, but rather as an opportunity to achieve empowerment and fulfillment.

Part one of the Emerald Tablet is “It contains an accurate commentary that can't be doubted.” Is this a preemptive strike against those who would cast doubt upon the words to follow? I don’t think so. I believe this first sentence has its own purpose, just as every other sentence of the Emerald Tablet is filled with purpose. This first sentence tells us that the words to follow are considered to be true by the author.

Truth is a powerful concept. Just stating that certain words are true gives those words power, even if we know for sure that the meaning behind those words are not true. And a person who claims to know the truth is also considered powerful.

In reality, “truths” are pretty experiential. Even “scientific truths” can actually be defined as “truth, until research proves otherwise.” After all, based on the information our ancestors had, many believed that our Earth was the center of the Universe; it was only after more information was gained that this “truth” was released.

We each have a responsibility to discover our own “truth.” Once we find it, we are supposed to attempt to disprove it, for this is the only way that we can truly know that our truth is valid. Challenges to our personal truth come often in life (and if we aren’t seeing those challenges, something is wrong); sometimes our current truth is validated through those challenges and sometimes we are shown that our current truth is no longer applicable, and so we release it. Neither result is wrong because in the end, both bring clarity and dispel the clouds of doubt.

I believe there is reason that this statement of the accuracy of the words that follow is placed at the beginning of the Emerald Tablet as a warning sign. You see, I have come to realize that just discovering my own personal truth has irrevocably changed my life. Maintaining the validity and relevance of that truth (and understanding that the maintenance might entail discarding the current incarnation of my personal truth because it’s no longer valid and relevant) will have an even greater impact on life and living, and that impact most probably will not be mostly pleasant.

“In seeking right knowledge, or truth, once one finds the Supreme Light of right knowledge – reawakening – we are propelled into change. We are compelled to change our human ways to abide by the rules and laws of God. It is a great spiritual awakening to who we really are, what we are capable of, what advances in technology we can do for mankind, Mother Earth, and our Universe.” (From The Emerald Tablet, by Dennis William Hauck.) Once we have found our own personal truth, we are compelled to live it, completely, no matter what.

Warning. Danger, Will Robinson.

But I am already in waaaaay too deep to allow a bit of discomfort to discourage me. I will heed the warning of this first sentence of the Emerald Tablet, and then, like The Fool and the Shadowscapes Page of Pentacles, I will continue my Journey.

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